


Il segreto di Darkdown ossi Don Corvino

by ZeelosRN



Category: Hellfire Club - K. J. Charles
Genre: Beets, Established Relationship, Fake Character Death, M/M, Religion, Story within a Story, mozart - Freeform, opera - Freeform, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 08:22:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16446266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeelosRN/pseuds/ZeelosRN
Summary: The playbill synopsis for George Penn's opera Don Corvino, libretto by John Raven (translation, Guy Frisby). Short scene with Philip reading it over Guy's shoulder.





	Il segreto di Darkdown ossi Don Corvino

**Author's Note:**

> First post here, will fix formatting when I have time. Should be legible as is.

Il segreto di Darkdown ossi Don Corvino  
(The Secret of Darkdown, or Don Corvino)

Dramatis personae  
Araminta, a beautiful parson's daughter  
Sebastiano, a young student  
Don Corvino Darkdown, a libertine, leader of a hellfire club  
Gioachino Dover, a swarthy henchman, a member of the club  
Pietro di Falconwood, a crazed man of science, a member of the club  
Mr. Rhodes, a young member of the club  
Giulia, a village maiden  
Gianetta, Giulia's sister  
Townspeople, club members, devils

Act I  
Scene I: A village square  
The townspeople sing of their terror of the visit of their lord, Don Corvino, and his hellfire club, who have just returned to Darkdown Castle (Do piu brillante sole l'ombra). Gianetta enters, searching for her sister, and the townspeople speculate about the fate of a young woman on Don Corvino's lands. Sebastiano, a young theology student, offers to help her search, and reveals that he is concerned because he is in love with Araminta, the parson's daughter, who is the most beautiful woman in the area (Una sola donna). The townspeople warn him not to cross Don Corvino, because he is a murderer, and served by evil men including the swarthy, mysterious henchman Gioachino Dover, and the fair Pietro di Falconwood, a crazed man of science; they moralize about how men of any coloration can turn to evil (I capelli rossi).

Scene II: The parsonage  
Sebastiano calls on Araminta to warn her of the disappearance of Giulia, and to beware of Corvino and his club (In la camara chiusa). She asks him why they cannot marry, so that he can protect her; he says that while he is still a student, he cannot afford to marry, but promises to be faithful to her. She returns his vows, saying that she will protect him, too (Se potessi/I picchini sorci). Dover appears outside, taunting Araminta with the number of Corvino's successful seductions and telling her she will be one of them (Dolce fanciulle da Inglaterra). Sebastiano rushes to confront him, leaving the door unlocked, and Falconwood takes the opportunity to slip inside. While Araminta is looking out the window, worrying about Sebastiano, Falconwood slips poison into her tea. She sees him, but not before she has taken a sip. He tells her that she must now accompany him back to Darkdown Castle, as only eating a secret breed of sugar beet will keep her alive (Di l'umile barbabietola il zucchero).

Act II  
Scene I: Don Corvino's rooms  
As the captive Giulia cowers, Don Corvino expounds on the importance of seizing pleasure before old age comes (In l'isla d'estate). Falconwood arrives with Araminta. Falconwood wants to use the poisoned Araminta for experiments, while Corvino wants to sacrifice her to the Devil. Falconwood proposes sacrificing Giulia instead, since Corvino has finished with her and she is less healthy than Araminta. Corvino and Falconwood argue about which woman should be sacrificed and which experimented on, while Araminta tells Giulia to be brave and assures her that Gianetta and Sebastiano will be coming to rescue them (Sine la scienza/Insieme sfidamo). Corvino finally agrees to leave Araminta alive for three days, although it will not take him that long to have his way with her; Falconwood accepts that he will get to experiment on Giulia for a few hours, and then they will sacrifice her when she's no use to him. He takes Giulia and leaves. Araminta declares that she will never yield to Corvino, even if she dies. He tells her that all women eventually yield to him because of the compelling power of his pale complexion (Tutte sentono di amore la gioia). They are interrupted when Dover arrives with Sebastiano, whom he has captured attempting to swim the castle's moat. Corvino orders that Sebastiano should be sent to the dungeons for Falconwood's experiments, while Araminta and Sebastiano bemoan their capture and vow vengeance.

Scene II: The dungeons  
Cold, wet, and in chains, Sebastiano recites Psalm 23 to himself (Il tuo bastone e il tuo vincastro). Falconwood arrives, and explains the importance of experimental knowledge while Sebastiano begs him to release Giulia and Araminta (Il corporo di uomo/La mia vita e nulla). Falconwood is on the verge of agreeing to release Giulia, whom he sees as relatively worthless, when he is prevented by the arrival of Dover and Corvino. They tell him it is time for a meeting of their club, reminding him of his loyalty, and the three reaffirm their pledges of friendship and evil (Come le piume d'un solo uccello). Araminta follows them, and flatters Corvino until he agrees to allow Sebastiano to attend the meeting, unlocking his manacles. When the three villains go upstairs, Araminta begs Sebastiano to flee, but he declares his intent to stay by her (Malgrado le paure).

Act III  
Scene I: The ballroom  
The assembled hellfire club drinks toasts to freedom, science, and the Devil while awaiting their three leaders. Dover arrives first and makes a speech mocking his employer (Che vale la sangue sine le brazie?). Outside the window, Gianetta sings of her desperate plan to appeal to Corvino's conscience to get him to release her sister: she will disguise herself as an animated statue and tell him he is damned (Queste brazie di pietra). Corvino and Falconwood appear, bringing the three prisoners Giulia, Araminta, and Sebastiano. Gianetta makes her attempt, but Corvino merely replies with jests to her threats, and she leaves, defeated.

Scene II: The gardens  
While Araminta and Sebastiano watch from a window and the club continues its revelries offstage, Corvino, Dover, and Falconwood tie Giulia to a stone altar and sing hymns to the Devil. As Corvino raises the knife for the sacrifice, Gianetta flings herself at him. Dover comes up behind her with a knife as she struggles with Corvino. Araminta and Sebastiano break the window and yell warnings, but Dover manages to stab her anyway. He tries to climb the wall to attack the young lovers, but falls on the broken glass when Araminta throws her shoe at him, then stumbles into the moat in his agony. Araminta and Sebastiano praise God for their victory. Corvino invokes the power of the Devil and kills Giulia, crying for vengeance (Rendemmi la forza della vendetta).

Act IV  
Scene I: The dungeon  
Araminta and Sebastiano enter stealthily, trying to escape Corvino and Falconwood. Araminta pleads with Sebastiano to flee and spread the word of the evils they've witnessed while she makes a distraction, because she is still poisoned (Questo veneno nella sangue). He refuses, saying he will keep his promise to stay with her, and instead suggests they search Falconwood's lab for the beets. While they are searching, Falconwood enters. Araminta hides, and Sebastiano attempts to trick Falconwood into revealing the location of the beets by pretending to be interested in learning about science (O dottore saggio). They hear Corvino calling for Falconwood; Araminta steals Falconwood's hat and coat and sneaks out to distract Corvino while Sebastiano insists the sound was just the wind (Questi castelli viecchi).

Scene II: The tower  
Corvino enters with Araminta. Thinking she is Falconwood, he reminisces about his past evils, bemoans the loss of Dover, and describes the tortures he plans to inflict on Araminta and Sebastiano (È così difficile trovare un buon scagnozzo). Araminta cries out and he recognizes her; she flees and he follows. The real Falconwood enters with Sebastiano, looking for Corvino, since he has been persuaded that Sebastiano wants to join the hellfire club. He tells Sebastiano about all the advantages of membership while Sebastiano pretends enthusiasm (Nelle sale del governo). He also explains that he is carrying the beets around in a bag because he will need them to recapture Araminta. Corvino sneaks up on them, and, thinking Falconwood is the disguised Araminta, flings him off the roof into the moat, then turns on Sebastiano, who cries for help. When Araminta runs up in response, Corvino realizes what he has done. He laments the loss of his remaining friend (Come il cielo imbruniente) and flings himself into the moat. Because the beets were lost with Falconwood, Araminta is dying. She prays for peace for all lost souls and bids Sebastiano remember her while a chorus of devils summon Dover, Falconwood, and Corvino to Hell. She dies in Sebastiano's arms as the curtain falls.

 

Philip looked up at Guy, who was, naturally, blushing, and quirked an eyebrow. "You did suggest that making fun of Corvin might help me make friends with him," he said, and went on before Philip could reassure him, "and it was mostly John anyway, except the Italian, which I doubt I got right anyway. Amanda will be furious, we butchered her plot."

  
"You're writing an opera?"

  
"No, of course not, George is. No, I don't mean that. Not a whole opera. He doesn't have time, of course. He only wrote the one song last night, and that was- did you know he had a grudge against Mozart? Not personally, I mean."

  
Philip was delighted for Guy to develop his own friendships within the Murder, of course, not least because it meant he could spend a quiet evening with Corvin when needed without leaving his lover kicking his heels, but he might have preferred a slightly more organized account of exactly what they'd done. He could always buttonhole John later, he supposed. "I seem to remember a conversation, yes," he said. He squinted at the sheets of paper on and around the piano. "Tutte sentono di amore la gioia?"

  
"Translating from German was dreadful, I never learned any and George's help was almost worse. That isn't even the worst part, though. I'm afraid you've corrupted me utterly." Guy seemed to be halfway between amusement and real distress, and Philip had a guess.

  
"I was wondering how George's entirely serious and widely acclaimed setting of Psalm 23 ended up in the middle of this bit of silliness, yes. Your fault?"

  
"We were discussing the scene, and I suggested that piece because I like it so much and we'd decided to have Sebastiano played by a soprano and it really did seem his sort of thing, but then I realized, and now I'm afraid I'm going to have impure thoughts in church at least once a year. George was furious, he couldn't stop laughing."

  
"From the little I know of the Bible, my love, I suspect a few impure thoughts will do no harm. There's worse on the page." Philip opened his arms and Guy came to sit on his lap.

  
"I know. Philip?"

  
"Yes?"

  
"Your rod is very comforting."

**Author's Note:**

> "Tutte sentono di amore la gioia" refers to "Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden" from The Magic Flute, an impressively racist song.
> 
> I picture the opening as being a little like the opening of Turandot, Dover's mocking song as being like "Vous qui faites l'endormie" from Faust (both later than period, alas), and "Dolce fanciulle da Inglaterra" as a pastiche on "Madamina, il catologo e questo."


End file.
